Railway signaling.



A. KERRv RAILWAY S|GNAL|NG.

APPLlcATloN FILED sens. 1971s.

' Patented Oct. 9,1917.

ikv-

Wz''nesses. 520. J5

ANDREW KEER, E BELFAST, IRELAND.

'RAILWAY SIGNALING.

lSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patenten oct. a, i917.

' Application led September 6, 1916. Serial N o. 118,765.

i? 'o all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ANDREW KERK, a subeect of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Belfasalreland, have invented vcertain new and useful lmprovements in and'Relating to Railway Signaling, of which the following isa specification.

ing and its object is to provide improvements in safety devices capable of giving an audible indication of the state of the signal to a train approaching the signal, so that, if, from any cause, the lineisemaphore signal cannot be seen, the driver of the train is made aware when vit is dangerous to proceed, and it specifically relates to devices .of this class, which are carried bythe rail and in which the depression ofalever or the like by a passing train is caused to move .a piston in a cylinder supported by the running rail so that air is compressed therein and Vdischarged therefromto actuate' an audible signaling orwarning 'devicev such as a whistle, horn or equivalent. n

Undermy invention the audible signaling apparatus of the class referred to is charac- Vterized by the-combination, with an' air compressing cylinder and a lever for operating the piston thereof both arranged in conjunction with the rail and adapted to move along therewith, of'means whereby the piston inthe air compressing cylinder and the lever for actuating same can be moved to and held at an out of action position when required and'also by the fact that the'piston which is returnable by spring means, after each stroke, has means whereby the piston and lever can be lowered out of active posi- Vtion without compressing the said spring means so that no spring force has to he overcome at the pulling of the apparatus to the clear position. As the whole arrangement is supported bythe running rail there can be no movement ofthe rail relatively to the lever and cylinder, and the stroke of.l the piston .in the cylinder willbe unaffected by movements ofthe running rail due to sinking of sleepers or from any other cause. As a consequence the wheel flanges are prevented from getting between the running rail and 'the` lever as there can be no movement of the rail away from the lever or vice versa.

' On the drawings, which showv one mode of constructing the apparatus, the same refe This invention relates to railway signal-l erence letters wherever repeated indicate the same parts. i

Referring to the drawings-Figure l is an elevation of 'the lever and 2 is a section `on the linev 'x--w Fig. l. F ig. la shows a semaphore signal.

The air cylinder p2 of the audible signaling apparatus is secured to therunning rail r, being supported thereby kand movable therewitlnand the lever t is alsosupporte'd by and movable with therunning rail r becylinder and F ig. f

ing secured thereto through the medium of its fulcrum pin t2'. The piston rod p1- of the piston 79 is connected to the lever t atits free end t1 and the piston and lever are' pulled to ltheir ready for action? position (see dotted position of lever in Fig, 2) byy the slacking ofthe signal wire a when it is desiredthe signal l (Fig. la) should be allowed to move to) the danger position 7 by the .weighted lever Themovementof this lever causes the link b1 to pull over the bell crank lever l? whereby the linkvfd?, which is pivoted to one of theplatesall by a pin d8, is caused to turn these plates which are connected together by thecross pin d5 and are centered, at d?, tothe depending arms p3 of the cylinder p2. VThis movement causes a pull on linksda, which-are pivoted to the plates CZ?, by pins du and to'the sleeve cl,- by pinsl Z? so that lthe sleeve d? iacts on the cushioning spring sand through it o r1 the piston p1, whose reduced l part slides through the sleeve and has a stop'` nut cZf1? at its' end, and pushes it up untilthe treadle end t1 is raised to the active position shown in dotted lines Fig.V 2. vThe wheels of ay passing train will depress the lever end t1 and force the pistonl down nearly to thel bottom of the cylinder p2 and this will hap-` pen each time the lever t is depressed bythe wheel of a` passing train so long asv the sleeve al is in the up position as in this p osition Ythe'treadle is by the action of the spring s returned to its up position after each down stroke. The piston p and lever 2f will be lowered to the clear orinactive position when the signal is pulled to clear the pull on the wire a causing a push on link b1 thereby pushing back the bell crank lever ci* whereby the .link Z2 turnsthe plates d so that the links a33- push down the sleeve als and, with` it, the piston rod p1, the 'piston-ip and the end t1 of the lever t. This arrangelment-makes it possible for, the signa'hfnan `to more the treadle to cle/ar7 with a minimum of effort as the piston lf2 has not to be pushed down by him against the action of the spring s, which being a powerful spring, would involve considerable effort for the signalman to compress.

When the piston p compresses the air in cylinder p2 through an outlet non-return valve f and then, through a suitable pipe f1, to a whistle f2, and, as the piston is forced upward by the spring s, after each depression, air is drawn in through a non-return inlet valve g.

The fulcrum end of the lever t may work on antifriction rollers for the purpose of facilitating the turning movements of the lever about its fulcrum t2. y is an opening by means of which air can escape from and enter freely into the cylinder p2 as the piston 79 moves up and down. .e is the end of a pipe for conveying lubricant to the cylinder.

Having now fully described vmy invention what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :d

1. ln audible railway signaling apparatus of the class described the combination with an audible signaling device operable by air under pressure, of means for compressing the air, a lever for operating said means, the means and the lever being arranged in conjunction with a track rail so as to move therewith and means whereby the air compressing means and the lever can be retained out of action when desired.

2. ,Tin audible railway signaling apparatus of the class described the combination with an audible signaling device operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected to a track rail, a' piston-for forcing air from the cylinder to the device, means permitting air to pass from'the cylinder to the device,v

a lever fulcrumed on the said rail and adapted to operate said piston, means for brin in@ the lever into o erative ositionv andmeans for retainingit out of the operative` position.

3. ln audible railway signaling apparatus of the class described the combination with an audible signaling device operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected to a track rail, a piston for forcing air from` the cylinder to the device, means permitting air to pass from the cylinder to thedevice, a lever fulcrumed on the said rail and adapted to operate said piston, a semaphore signal, means for operating thesemaphore signal and means whereby when the semaphore signal is moved bythe signalman to danger thev said lever will be moved to theoperative position' and when the semaphore 'sigl nal is 'moved' by the signalinanitoclear the@ said'lever will be moved out ofthe' operai;ive'l positionaiaiaasbieeailwa the compressed air is discharged ignalinglappsratus nanas/oi combination with an audible signaling i operable by air under pressure, of a. v Y connected to a track rail, a piston for forcing air from the cylinder to the device, means permitting air to pass from the cylinder to the device, a .lever fulcrumed on the said rail and adapted to opera-te said piston, resilient cushioning means for the piston an l means wl'ie'reby the said resilient means can be put out of action. Y

5. in audible railway signaling apparatus of the class described the combination with an audible signalingdevice operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected to a track rail, a piston for forcing air from the cylinder to the device, means permitting to pass from the cylinder to the device, a lever fulcrumed on lthe said railk and adaptedto operate said piston each time it is depressed by train wheel, spring means for forcing the lever upward after each depression and means for placing the spring out of action when desired.

6. ln audible railway signa-ling apparatus of the class described, the combination with an audible signaling device operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected to a track rail, a piston forforcing air from the cylinder tothe device, means permitting air to pass from the cylinder tothe device, a lever fulcrumed on the said rail andadapted to operate said. piston each time it is depressed by a train wheel, spring means for forcing the lever :upward after each depression, and means, operable bythe signalman, for placing the spring out of action when desired. y

" in audible railway signaling apparatus l of the class described the combination'with an audible signalingA device operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected to a track rail, a piston for forcing air from the cylinder to the device, means permitting air tol pass from the cylinder to the device, al lever fulcrumed on the said railfand adapt ed to operate said piston each time it" is depressed byl a train wheel, spring means for forcing the lever upward after each depression, a semaphore signal, means for operating the semaphore signal and means wherebyy when the semaphore signal is moved bythe signalman to danger the said lever will be moved to the'operative position and when the semaphore signal is moved by the signalman to clear7 the said lever will be moved out of the operative position and means, operable by the signalman, at the same time as he pulls the semaphore signal to the clear position, to place the said.I spring means out of' action.

8'. .ln audiblezr'ailway signaling apparatus'f of-tlie classdescribed, the combination with ani audible signaling: device operable; byfa'ir undrr pressure, otter/cylinder;connectedto-aftrack rail, a piston for forcing air from the cylinder to tbe device, means permitting air to pass from the cylinder tO the device,

9. In audible railway signaling apparatus g of the class described, the combination with an audible signaling device operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected to a track rail, a piston for forcing air from V the cylinder to the device, meanspermitting air to pass from the cylinder to the device, a lever ulcrumed on the said rail and adapted to operate said piston in one direction, a spring for'moving the piston in the Opposite direction, and means, operable by the signalman, for putting said spring into and out of action.

l0. ln audible railway signaling apparatus of the class described, the combination with an audible signaling device operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected to a track rail, a piston for foroing air from the cylinder to the device, means permitting air to pass from the .cylinder to the device, a lever fulcrumed on Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing theV ilommissionerl of Patents,

the said' rail and adapted to' Operate said piston in one direction, a spring for movin the piston in theV Opposite direction, an means, operable by the signalman, for moving the'spring into active position or into inactive position. Y

11. In audible railway signaling apparatus of the' class described, the combination with an audible signaling device Operable by air under pressure, of a cylinder connected toy a track rail, a piston for forcing air from ythe cylinder tO the device,

means permitting air tO pass from the cylinder to the device, a lever fulcrumed on the said rail and adapted tO operate jsaid piston in one direction, a spring for moving the piston in the Opposite direction, and means, operabley by the signalman,f0r moving the spring into active position or into inactive position comprising a sleeve slidable upon an extension ofthe cylinder and in which the spring is partly located andmeans for moving the sleeve relatively With the extension.

In testimony Whereof'l affix my signature in presence of tWO Witnesses.

` ANDREW KEER. NTitnesses:

ANDREW HAMILTON, JOHN KNOX.

Washington, D. G. 

